Positive Mental Ed-itude
by Thunderbyrd
Summary: Set sometime after the events of the Big Picture Show, Eddy gets a bit self-conscious about his future ever since he and the Eds had gave up scamming after their one infamous scam that summer. Luckily, his friends are there to help him use his former love of scamming into something more cherishable. *One-Shot*


**After doing 20 stories for OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Gravity Falls, and even Overwatch, it's about time I start writing for other shows, eh?**

**For the longest time, I was hoping to write at least something Ed, Edd, n', Eddy-related for quite a while, but I haven't any idea on what to write for so far. But with 2019 being the tenth anniversary of EEnE's grand finale, the Big Picture Show TV movie that aired around this date in May 2009 (good God, do I feel old now…), I found myself being bitten by the infamous plot bunny and soon, I found myself something to write for this momentous occasion in the show's fandom. (Please keep in mind that I haven't read every EEnE fic on this site however, so I have **_**no**_ **idea if this sort-of story was done before…)**

**So, just in time for The Big Picture Show's 10th anniversary, let's kick off this day with my first EEnE fanfic, Positive Mental Ed-itude!**

**Ed, Edd, n', Eddy are owned by Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun.)**

* * *

**POSITIVE MENTAL ED-ITUDE**

For somebody as self-assured and determined as Eddy, he'd thought he would've had his life all straightened out by now.

For many years, he and his two best friends, Ed and Edd (normally known by Double D amongst his peers), have been pestering the rest of the Cul-De-Sac kids out of their pocket change through the means of their insane and (usually) dangerous scams, all to purchase delicious jawbreakers in the end. Eddy usually saw himself as the de facto leader of this troublesome trio, while Double D acted as the brains of the group and Ed being dumb muscle.

However, in spite of his role as the Eds' leader, he wasn't exactly the most popular kid around for quite a long time. While the kids could mostly tolerate the neat-freakish and intelligent Double D and the dim-witted and lovable Ed for their kindness alone, I'm sorry to say that the same didn't always apply to Eddy. Eddy was always a sharp-tongued, cocky, rude, and impatient kind of kid and he normally acted this way around everyone, even towards his fellow Eds on occasion.

Sure, one could argue that's how Eddy is as a person, but even so, one would think why someone as nice, innocent, and tolerant as Double D or Ed _would_ want to stay friends with a short-tempered shortstack like Eddy in the first place? Granted, the three Eds _did_ have their share of spats and disagreements in the past, but through Hell and high water, the trio did manage to stay together as a close-knit group through even their most strenuous misadventures. However, on terms of Eddy himself trying to fit in with the other children, the outcome normally never worked out well in his favor.

But in the end, even after their scams had all managed to blow up in their faces, the Eds always found a way to bounce back, with the always-determined Eddy leading them all the way.

And of course, one can't know about Eddy's true colors without mentioning the scam to end all scams happened...the one where everything that could and would go wrong actually _did_ go wrong…

With a scam that ended with most of the Cul-De-Sac nearly being demolished in the process and the Eds practically being labelled as fugitives towards the other kids, it was certain that things weren't looking up for our fellow Ed-boys, especially since they had been on the run out of their hometown of Peach Creek, courtesy of the furious mob of kids that were unfortunately shanghaied in their most infamous scam. This occurrence left Eddy with one choice to try and get this mess settled up and everything back to normal.

To find his big brother and to get him to make things right again...

However, after a long and perilous trip to find Eddy's older brother, taking them through towns, deserts, fields, factories, swamps, and seaside theme parks, the trip turned out to not as the Eds had hoped, especially when the other kids had all finally caught up to their location in the end. And as it turned out, instead of protecting the Eds as planned, Eddy's brother wasn't exactly how the other Cul-De-Sac kids imagined that he was; in reality, Eddy's brother was completely rude and abusive towards Eddy, seemingly taking utter _joy_ in mocking and bullying his "pipsqueak" brother whenever he could.

Luckily, after the broken-spirited Eddy revealed about why he lied about his brother in order to impress the others into being his friend, he, Double D, and Ed were all happily forgiven by the rest of the Cul-De-Sac kids, bringing an end to the whole manhunt once and for all. With Rolf, Nazz, Jimmy, and even Sarah and Kevin now all genuinely glad to have the Eds by their side again (now as friends), the Eds could at last take solace into reaching the one goal that they had all hoped to achieve one day.

To finally be accepted in a crowd of friends, as dreamed.

Unfortunately, even with the Eds' bond with the other kids now being fully restored, there still were some consequences from this entire outcome, mainly falling on Ed, Edd, and Eddy's part. Because of the scam that almost brought the neighborhood to pieces and as for running away and being gone for so long, let's say that the Eds' respective parents weren't all too happy with all of this.

I'm sorry to say because of their scam, The Eds wound up being grounded by their parents for a good two months because of their shared actions and were even brought into community service to help tidy up the mess they caused to the Cul-De-Sac. The Eds decided to take their punishment in stride, with Eddy shockingly being the most resilient out of the three during his grounding. Technically, that scam _was_ his idea after all.

It took the Eds a long while to clean up their neighborhood. With an assortment of trash, wood, metal, rock, and other bits of rubble to clear away while a local construction company helped in properly fixing the rest of the Cul-De-Sac property (mainly the houses and the surrounding landscape), it was certain that the Eds had a _lot_ to do to ensure that they have learned their lesson. Luckily, as it turned out, some of the Cul-De-Sac kids even offered to help the Eds with the clean-up process, much to the trio's delight and relief.

With the extra help from their friends, the Eds' community service soon flew by without a cinch, ending their service just as fast as their grounding did. And soon enough, things in the Cul-De-Sac soon went back to normal, but with the welcoming addition of the Eds and the other kids now being true companions from now on. The rest of the summer went by swimmingly after that; all the kids were enjoying the remaining dog days of summer by playing or fooling around as usual, and no cataclysmic disasters were caused anymore after the infamous scam.

And for the Eds, finally being able to fit in with the hip crowd, it truly was paradise...

* * *

It was a rather normal Monday at Peach Creek Junior High, considering of the unholy mess the mysterious scam had caused last summer. The kids were all back in their own classes, all actually happy to get back to the humdrum of school after such a disastrous and tiring summer. The morning sun shone brightly outside, the birds chirped sweetly, and summer was now making way for autumn, with the leaves on the trees outside turning from green to red, orange, and gold.

Ed and Double D were idling by their lockers, packing away some of their items to get ready for their lunch period. The school day was going by normal as usual with the same dull classes (though the school-loving Double D would tell you otherwise), and with the Eds now seen as proper friends in the eyes of the Cul-De-Sac kids, it seemed like the school year was going to go by much more smoother with this revelation.

Right now, the two were patiently waiting for their third Ed friend to arrive so they could go to lunch together. Double D was busily sorting away books in his overwhelmingly-organized locker, all the while wondering where Eddy may be.

'_Hmm, where could Eddy be? It's not like him to miss lunch…_' Double D thought to himself, a smidgen of concern tracing across his face. He turned towards the monobrowed Ed next to him, whom in question was digging through his messy, cluttered, and rank-smelling locker to retrieve his bagged lunch from home.

"Ed, do you perhaps know where Eddy currently might be?" Double D asked curiously to the dumb, but lovable lummox. Ed simply shook his head.

"No, sirree, Double D…" he replied, still scrounging about for his lunch bag. Double D frowned softly and scratched under his sock-like hat. As much as he didn't want to, he couldn't but to fear the worst of it.

"Oh, dear…" he fretted, "I hope he hasn't gotten into anymore trouble. The last thing I want is for him to land into a deeper predicament with the principal...or perhaps with his parentals!" Ed suddenly poked his head out of his locker again, a haunted look crossing his face.

"Do you think aliens have abducted and eaten him, Double D!?" he cried horrifically. Double D gave the monobrowed Ed-boy a strange look, somehow unsurprised by Ed's rash attempt of an assumption.

"I'd...say that's rather doubtful, Ed…" Double D reasoned as nicely as he could put it, but Ed wasn't fully convinced as he dug into his disgustingly-messy locker again and pulled out a certain comic book with his hand.

"Well, that's what happened in Volume Two of 'Munchkin-Snatching Aliens From Planet Brevis'!" he argued, brandishing his comic book in question, "We cannot simply wave off the idea of Eddy becoming alien food!"

Double D rolled his eyes at Ed's panicky statement. "I'm certain we would have heard something about an alien invasion soon enough, dear Ed. And also, please use the term 'little person' instead of 'munchkin' for political correctness' sake. You know Eddy doesn't approve of being reminded of his stature..."

But before Ed could rule anymore possibilities about Eddy being kidnapped by aliens, the familiar squeaking of a pair of sneakers hitting against the clean hallway floors caught the attention of both Ed and Double D. Then, turning the corner from another hallway came the man of the hour himself.

"Did somebody mention my name?" came the confident-sounding reply.

Ed beamed brighter than a 90-watt light bulb, excited to see his friend once more as the Ed's leader himself was seen strolling down the halls and up to his two partners-in-crime. "EDDY!" he shouted joyously. Double D simply sighed in relief and smiled.

'_Thank goodness…_' he thought to himself as just then, Eddy suddenly found himself glomped by an oncoming Ed, his stubby torso now clamped within Ed's tight embrace, like a hydraulic vice.

"Oh-boy-oh-boy! My best buddy Eddy has escaped the evil clutches of the Munchkin-Snatchers!" Ed cheered, crushing Eddy within his grasp. Eddy violently and helplessly struggled to try and escape from Ed's hug.

"_Ed, ya lummox! I can't breathe!_" Eddy wheezed out irritably. Double D chuckled softly and walked up to the duo.

"Ed, you can release him now, if you please." The hat-donning Ed calmly instructed towards his moronic, well-meaning ally. With that said, Ed immediately complied and opened his arms, sending Eddy to plop butt-first on the ground. Luckily, Double D helped him back on his feet, allowing Eddy to feel his bruises and cough weakly.

"Yeesh, big guy!" Eddy groaned out, "At least give me a warning before you go all hug-crazy…" Ed soon gave him an apologetic look, akin to a dog looking guilty for doing something bad, like scratching up the couch or peeing on the carpet. Double D came to Ed's defense and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"My apologies for Ed's enthusiasm, Eddy. We both nearly thought that you'd be late for lunch is all." Double D explained worriedly. Eddy gave the two his usual cocky smile and brushed off their concern.

"Pssh, puh-leeze! Like I'd be late for the only class I'm doing good in!" he joked reassuringly. Double D rolled his eyes.

"The lunch period isn't an academic subject, Eddy…" corrected Double D with a sigh, "Anywho, we were just worried that you had gotten into trouble again…" Ed suddenly began raising his hand high in the air, waving it excitedly.

"Ooh, ooh, did you put laxatives in the teacher's coffee again?" he gasped out gleefully. Eddy shook his head.

"Nah, I learned my lesson after I got three weeks of detention from doing that…" he sighed, before his lips curled into a giddy smirk from recollecting said memory, "Although, that _was_ a priceless gag! I still remember the face he made when he had to am-scray to the bathroom! Heh-heh…"

He then paused his mischievous nostalgia in place for a more serious expression. "But, uh, no, I wasn't in trouble or anything...I guess I was just doin' some thinking was all…" he confided in an uncharacteristically-soft voice.

Double D's face grew quite concerned. "Thinking about what?" he asked curiously. Even Ed found his expression twisting into one of confusion and worry over his best buddy's glum tone. Eddy gave them both a thin frown, unsure on how to answer that without sounding weird, so he simply said nothing in response.

The brainy sockhead noticed his short friend's discomfort and without hesitation, he placed a brotherly hand on Eddy's shoulder, looking him dead in the eyes without any trace of sternness. "Eddy, you know you can tell us both if something is upsetting you...you know that, right?"

Eddy frowned softly. There certainly _was_ something that was mildly troubling him at the moment, but he wasn't sure on how to discuss this problem with anyone, especially between his two closest friends despite how they both did want to help him. All he could do was look down in uncertainty with Ed and Double D gazing worriedly down at him, silence befalling before the three of them.

Just then, a literal light bulb managed to crawl out of Ed's empty skull, indicating that the big lug actually had something of an idea. "Aww, I know what will cheer Eddy up!" he smiled encouragingly.

He then suddenly went back into his landfill of a locker once again to pull something else out: his lunch bag that he'd been looking for since Eddy arrived. In Ed's hand was a soggy, dirty paper bag, dripping with oily, brown grease at the bottom. Whatever contents that this unholy bag had were unknown, but it was producing a strong stench that smelled of bad perfume, expired cheese, and sweaty gym socks all combined into one. The bag was so nauseatingly stale and that it was even growing some mold and even a few blue mushrooms around the bottom part!

"I can share my lunch with Eddy, if he'd like!" Ed offered kindly, unaware of the sorry state of his bagged lunch.

The odor alone was enough to nearly knock out poor Eddy and Double D, with the former gagging into his hands while the latter gasped horrifically and ran towards the nearest window to let in some air.

"OXYGEN! _I NEED OXYGEN!_" Double D screeched frantically, his face turning more sickly green than a pear as he ripped the nearby window open and began heaving and gasping dramatically for fresh air. Eddy coughed and nearly vomited out his breakfast before addressing to Ed's lunch bag.

"Ack, Ed!" Eddy gasped out wearily, "Put that thing away before you cause the fire alarm to go off! It's makin' my eyes water!"

Soon, after Ed placed his hazardous lunch bag inside his pants, it wasn't long before the air became more cleaner as Eddy and Double D were soon feeling much better, though the lingering effects of the stench still swam around in their minds.

'_And I thought that wad of moldy cheese Ed carried around smelled bad…_' groused Eddy as he coughed to himself. The Eds had managed to pull themselves together before Double D decided to continue this conversation forward.

"Ugh, but seriously though, Eddy…" Double D coughed out, still trying to get the nefarious stench out of his systems, "Is something really troubling you today?" Eddy blew a raspberry with his lips and casually tried to wave off his friend's concern.

"Pssh, no…" he assured, before fatigue finally decided to suddenly settle in on Eddy, causing his initial answer to falter, "...well, maybe...uh...okay, I _might_ have something on my mind, I guess…" he finally admitted, fully embracing humility for once. Double D frowned concernedly.

"Oh, dear…" he gasped softly, with an equally-worried Ed joining alongside him. He then walked up to Eddy and placed a brotherly hand on his shoulder, making sure to look him in the eyes caringly. "What seems to be on your mind, old friend?" he asked Eddy gently, hoping to elicit something of an answer from him.

Eddy frowned softly. As much as he really didn't want to explain his own dilemma, he knew he needed closure of some kind, especially with his own best friends. "Uh...stuff, I suppose…" he pitably answered, "I dunno, just thinking of stuff from before that scam, I guess…"

Ed looked down worriedly at his little friend. He detested seeing any of his best buddies sad more than anything in the world and he did want to help Eddy out. "Which scam, Eddy?" he asked. Even a dumb-as-bricks fella like _himself_ knows he and the other Eds have attempted nearly hundreds of scams by now.

Eddy winced and frowned, looking away from the two as he rubbed his left arm in embarrassment.

"You know...the one we did that summer...the last scam we ever pulled off in a long while…?" he answered back in his most awkward and timid voice yet. Ed and Double D cringed and tugged at their shirt collars, they knew exactly what Eddy was talking about.

Ever since the infamous scam that nearly levelled the entire Cul-De-Sac, the three Eds all decided it best to simply hold off scamming for at least a while. Amazingly, _Eddy_ was the one who started that little rule and as a result, the Eds were given a much-needed break from scamming so that they can focus on being with their new friends again.

However, the Eds then realized one little detail once the fall season had arrived. They had went the rest of the summer without pulling off a single scam!

Normally, the Eds would be able to pull off four-to-five different scams a week, regardless of what season it was, but after the events of that one scam (that shall not be named or discussed any further), Eddy figured that maybe he and the others may need to take a break for a little while. And soon enough, that "little while" turned out to lasted for two months, while the Eds were busy with their community service, their grounding, and spending what little summer time they can spend with their new friends to even think about doing a scam.

And quite frankly, they were all wholly content without doing a scam for a long while, in fact! And yet, somehow, a strange feeling was left gnawing inside of Eddy for some time.

It wasn't the feeling of wanting to do a scam again, but it was something that was sorta slightly-related to as such. Either way, Eddy knew he had to discuss this feeling sooner or later, and he knew that the best group of people to talk about this with were his friends.

Double D frowned concernedly; the mere mention of that scam bringing back bad memories of having an entire neighborhood of bloodthirsty kids wanting their heads was not settling well for him at all. Even Ed began to tremble like a leaf upon being reminded of that dreaded summer moment.

"Uh...wh-why were you thinking about that, Eddy?" Double D asked, the tone of his voice a mixture of concern, curiosity, and dread. Eddy shrugged, his face being wrought with uncertainty.

"I dunno, guys...I guess I can't help but to think about something...something about when I was still doing scam before, y'know?" he mused sadly. Double D fretfully groaned, thinking of the worse to come regarding Eddy's statement.

"Oh, Eddy, please don't tell me you're thinking about planning another scam? I thought you mentioned you were trying to stem away from doing those again!" bemoaned the intelligent Ed-boy. Somehow, he almost figured Eddy might wind up relapsing back to his usual money-obsessed ways, despite how much he really didn't want to believe that.

To his relief, however, Eddy simply shook his head in denial.

"Pssh, as if! Believe me, sockhead, I'm over all _that_ now! It was hard enough trying not to lose my mind again like the first time I haven't scammed anyone? You know, when everyone in the Cul-De-Sac got sick?"

Double D and Ed completely understood. A couple of summers ago, all the Cul-De-Sac kids (barring the Eds) were under quarantine for the whole day, causing a very bored and very hopeless Eddy to slowly lose his grip on reality, leaving him as an obnoxious, hyper, and clueless clown afterwards. He was soon brought back down to Earth thanks to the help of his friends, but after his psychotic (and hilarious) jaunt around town, he prayed he'd never have to go through something like _that_ again.

Trying to willing give up scamming was an absolutely trying time for poor Eddy, as he was afraid he might go insane again. He nearly did so on some occasions during their summer after the Mondo-A-Go-Go incident: he would sometimes speak in tongues, he'd flail about on the ground like a fish, and he even nearly attempted to streak naked through Rolf's vegetable garden at one point!

But over time, Eddy slowly adapted quite well without trying to do a scam and soon, he fully adjusted himself without doing any scams without going nuts. But even so, something was still crossing Eddy's mind afterwards, something that _was_ somewhat in regards to scamming.

"Well...no, I _am_ over scams…" assured Eddy, "but...I'd be lying if I said I didn't have something to discuss…"

Ed was the first to come up to tend to Eddy, wrapping a strong, brotherly arm around the smaller boy's waist. "If you're lyin', Eddy, then I'm cryin'...you know we can help you!"

Double D smiled, agreeing with Ed's sentiment. "Ed's right, Eddy! Perhaps we all can conversate about what's on your mind?" he offered fondly.

Eddy smiled softly, glad to be with such great company, but secretly, also feeling worried about discussing his own problems with others. It wasn't because he wanted to seem tough or anything, he was simply concerned on how his friends would react to his troubles. But still, he knew talking about what was bothering him would help him more better than to just let him stew in his own self-pity.

***GRUMBLE-RUMBLE!***

Plus, the starving sensation in his stomach prevented him to continue on with his grief. There was a time for discussing feelings, but there was _also_ a time for lunch. "Uh, how's about we talk about it over lunch? I'm kinda hungry…" Eddy offered.

Double D and Ed looked at each other and shrugged. Admittedly, they were both quite famished themselves, plus they all didn't want to miss their lunch period, so perhaps it'd be more ideal to discuss matters during lunch.

"Uh, sure thing, Eddy!" Double D ultimately agreed, much to Eddy's relief. And soon enough, the lovably-destructive trio of boys began trotting down the halls of Peach Creek Junior High to have some well-deserved lunch for the day.

* * *

It wasn't long until the Eds had made it to the school cafeteria just as lunch was still continuing on. They had all gathered their lunches and were just ready to find a place to sit. Usually around this time, finding a decent spot to sit was slim pickings, so the Eds knew they had to hurry up and find a table before it'd be too late.

At one table, they saw Sarah and Jimmy sitting together, chatting away about stuff the Eds wouldn't really care too much about. Even though the young pair were greatly softening up towards the Eds, the trio still wanted to try and keep their distance from them, especially Sarah, who can still be as sharp-tongued and snappy as she always was, so all they did was pass by their table and gave them both a friendly wave, which they both kindly returned.

Next, the Eds saw a table that housed another certain trio sitting there: the rebellious and stalker-ish Kanker Sisters. Ever since the whole scam fiasco that summer, Lee, May, and Marie had continued to side with the Eds and had even went out to try and save them from harm, only to discover the unsavory relationship between Eddy and his brother as well (Lee was especially horrified by this revelation). Anywho, after teaching Eddy's brother a little lesson (which I ain't gonna describe what that lesson entailed), they still continued to faithfully pine after their original sweethearts as if nothing had happened.

The Eds still couldn't have helped but to still feel a tad nervous around these trailer park-dormant sisters, despite that in light of everything, the Kankers seemed to be a little less clingy and pushy around them nowadays. Still, not wanting to be rude, the Eds simply opted to wave at them kindly, awkwardly trying to avoid the Kankers' flirty expressions shot right back towards them.

Soon, their hopes on finding a decently-empty lunch table seemed to be dashed until another voice rang from afar.

"Hey, guys! Over here!"

Sure enough, the Eds noticed who was calling for them and they all smiled broadly. There, sitting at a lunch table not too far away, were Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf, all sat down and ready for their own lunches. The three waved over to the Eds to invite them over to join them, much to the Eds' gratitude.

The Eds then walked up and joined the three fellow Cul-De-Sac kids without hesitation, all happy to be with their freshly-rekindled friends again. Rolf was the first to greet them with open arms.

"Greetings, Ed-boys!" he cheered out in his usual Rolf-y fashion.

"'Sup, dudes!" Nazz welcomed next, with Kevin simply giving the Eds a small smirk and wave. Double D beamed brightly in return.

"Salutations, everyone! I trust your respective school days are going okay so far?" smiled Double D as he and his two partners-in-crime all sat down across from the other three kids.

"Mm, pretty good, I suppose." Nazz shrugged, "Me and Rolf had to deal with a bogus calculus test, though…" Rolf scoffed confidently.

"Pah, Rolf didn't need to worry about no namby-pamby test!" he gloated, "Rolf has been succeeding at these tests even before I was an Urban Ranger leader!" Nazz smirked lightly at Rolf's boisterous comment.

"Which was why you've gotten a 'D' in American History that one time, right?" she playfully nudged at Rolf with a knowing smile.

Rolf blushed and coughed awkwardly, his confidence beginning to peter out. "Yes, well, uh, Rolf was simply under the weather, Nazz-girl." he corrected, poorly covering up his tracks, "Got a stomach ache from eating Papa's boiled turnip-and-onion stew, was all, yes…"

Double D smiled softly at the two friends bantering before him. "Well, be that as it may, Rolf, I could help tutor you in said subject to help curve your grade, if that's okay with you…" he offered kindly. Surprisingly, Rolf simple smiled back humbly.

"Thank you, sock-for-a-hat Ed-boy!" he smiled, "Perhaps that son-of-a-gun teacher shall feel Rolf's wrath once I excel in his historical class, much like how Nana bested everyone at the caber toss competition back in the old country!" Just then, Ed loudly burst into the conversation as well, grinning widely all the while.

"I'm pretty smart, too!" Ed bellowed giddily with confidence, "Remember when I won that spelling bee, Double D!? I was a real egghead, you betcha!"

Double D rolled his eyes and couldn't help but to smile at that memory, involving Ed actually _winning_ the school spelling bee aside from Double D of all kids, leaving Eddy to try and take advantage of Ed's "intelligence" as a means to earn cash.

"Yes, Ed, we know…" he replied, prompting the four kids to share a good-natured chuckle about that day long past. As they were preoccupied with all of that, two certain Cul-De-Sac kids were busy having their own conversation at the table as well.

...or something _close_ to a conversation that is…

Sitting across from each other were Kevin and Eddy, both looking down at their meals as if to avoid making eye contact with one another. Plus, the little discussion they were having between each other seemed to make things more awkward for the both of them. After minutes of quiet eating and nervous glances, Eddy boldly decided to start up something of a chat towards the school's star jock as not to make things completely weird.

"Er, ahem, so, uh, Kevin...how's it going with y-you?" Eddy started out awkwardly. Kevin coughed nervously in his hand and tried giving him something of a genuine smile.

"Uh, good, good…" he answered, just as uncomfortably, "How 'bout you, dor...uh, I mean, E-Eddy?"

"Uh, great, t-thanks for asking...ahem…"

Ever since the aftermath of what happened at Mondo-A-Go-Go, with the Cul-De-Sac now accepting the Eds as a whole, practically everyone was getting along rather swimmingly with each other, although there were two kids that were finding it hard to try and reconcile. Eddy and Kevin had been bitter rivals for a long time; between all the fighting and many occurrences of them throwing insults at each other, they both found it difficult to make things up and become better friends without it feeling so awkward.

But still, Eddy and Kevin both genuinely wanted to at least _try_ and make amends in the end, with Eddy not having scammed anyone for quite a while and Kevin, who wasn't used to calling the Eds anything else but "dorks" for the longest time, trying to be more considerate towards them. The other kids certainly knew how hard and weird it was between Eddy and Kevin to restore their friendship, but they thought that so far, they _were_ certainly doing their best to do so.

With introductions and polite conversation out of the way, Double D decided to see if Eddy would be suitable discussing his earlier troubles within the comfort of all his friends, in hopes to find out what seemed to be stuck in his mind.

"So, Eddy, perchance you'd like to discuss what's been crossing your mind lately?" he asked innocently. Eddy swallowed hard, nearly choking on the spoonful of mashed potatoes he put in his mouth as a result before giving Double D an incredulous look.

"Sockhead, what are you doing!?" he whisper-shouted at him, "We don't need to drag them into my problems!"

Double D apologetically gazed down at him. "Well, perhaps they can help you out, Eddy, to maybe bring some clarity into your situation…" he replied softly back at him. The other three kids looked puzzled at the scene before them, but were all still willing to help Eddy out.

"Dude, if something buggin' you, you can tell us, Eddy." Nazz offered kindly. Rolf nodded agreeingly.

"Indeed, what troubles you, shorter-than-a-tree-stump Ed-boy?" asked Rolf helpfully in his normal, off-color mannerism.

The friendly notion did help to bring a thankful, though miniscule smile across Eddy's face, but only for a few seconds before he sighed and looked down, feeling both nervous and uncertain of himself..

"Well, now that you all mentioned, I guess I've had things on my mind for a bit…" he admitted. Everyone else at the table looked quite concerned for Eddy, especially Double D and Ed. They knew something's been bothering Eddy for a while.

"About what, Eddy?" Ed asked, puzzled.

Eddy shrugged softly. "I guess about stuff that happened after that whole mess with my brother...with me giving up scamming and all…" he replied unsurely. Kevin listened in and gave Eddy an odd, nearly-suspicious look.

"You're not thinking about doing scams again, are ya?" Kevin questioned with a slightly-furrowed brow. The thought of having Eddy go through another session of scamming him and his friends once again, even after the whole brother incident, clearly wasn't something he wanted to do through again. Luckily, Eddy shook his head assuredly.

"Absolutely not…" he declared, "Trust me, I've learned my lesson, Kev...besides, all those dumb scams were duds anyways…" he then said, muttering bitterly, "I mean, come on! Club Ed? Edtropolis? Professor Scam? What the heck was I thinking with that _last_ one? Oy…"

Nazz quirked up an eyebrow. "Then what's on your mind, dude?" she quizzed curiously. Eddy sighed softly. He knew he had to get this off his chest sooner or later.

"Well...I-I guess I've just been worried about my future was all…" he admitted morosely with a tiny, shy stutter.

The others looked at him weirdly, though also concerningly. Eddy didn't seem like the one to worry about what happened in his own life, so having him sound and feel so upset about the prospect about his possible future sounded quite off towards the others.

"Your future?" Double D echoed, his face and voice filled with fret.

"Why would you be worried of your future, dude?" Nazz beckoned gently. Eddy frowned and groaned quietly.

"Well...you all know me by this point," he explained, "It's not like I'm the smartest kid here at school...plus, I don't exactly have any special talents or anything! I mean, Kevin can fix bikes, Rolf knows how to farm stuff, and Double D knows all about reading and writing and 'arith-a-ma-ticks' and all that!" Double D raised an eyebrow at Eddy.

"'Arithmetic', Eddy…" Double D corrected gently, bringing Eddy's point to home.

"See, exactly! That's what I'm sayin'!" Eddy retorted upsettingly, slumping down in his seat, "Ever since we done at scam that nearly turned our neighborhood into a junkyard, I've just been feeling like I've got nothing to show for...like I don't know what'll happen in my future, you know?"

The others gazed sympathetically down at Eddy. They were all glad and relieved that Eddy wasn't planning on returning to his scamming ways any time soon, but they were still worried to see him look so nervous in regards on how his future may look.

"Don't be so down, Eddy…" soothed Nazz carefully with a sisterly smile, "I'm, like, sure your future will look bright and stuff! You're still young like the rest of us, so there's no need to, like, worry!" Kevin smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, and besides, it could be worse. You can be like Rolf here and get a 'D' in history..." he sniggered jokingly, giving Rolf a bump on the arm while ignoring his blue-haired friend's displeased expression. His quip, however, wasn't enough to break the ice with Eddy, but luckily, Double D managed to conjure up an idea.

"Well, Eddy...perhaps we can try and discuss your strengths, then we can see how they might help you out in the real world?" he suggest kindly, although Eddy really wasn't sure about that.

"I dunno, Double D...all my life the one thing I know how to do is scamming people...and even then I still stink at that!" Eddy griped sadly, "What's gonna happen when I grow up and I realize I've wasted my life doing nothing!?" Nazz then struck an idea.

"Well, since, like, you said you only know stuff about scamming...maybe you can use that to your advantage?" she offered kindly. Eddy looked more skeptical instead of intrigued, however.

"'Advantage'? What kind of advantage would I get from my scamming skills?" he asked, "All I ever did was try and trick you guys into giving me cash for jawbreakers!"

Rolf smiled thoughtfully. "Perhaps short-tempered Ed-boy can use talents as part of a profession in future?" he guessed. Eddy unsurely sighed as he looked down at his half-eaten lunch in doubt.

"Yeah, but like, what?" Eddy mused softly.

Everyone at the table soon began thinking for a while, trying to come up with a feasible idea on how Eddy can properly hone his skills. Just then, out of everyone in the group, it was _Ed_ who had found himself gaining another idea.

"Ooh, ooh, maybe Eddy could be an...uh, um...an 'entrée-manure' when he grows up!" Ed declared happily, trying to find what word to best describe his friend's possibly future job could be. The other kids simply gave Ed weird looks upon his butchering of the one word he used for Eddy.

"Do you mean 'entrepreneur', Ed?" Kevin corrected confusedly. Ed nodded rapidly in agreement. Rolf's eyes lit up in realization.

"Ah, yes, the simple pass-and-go salesperson!" he mused thoughtfully, "Rolf's great-grandfather had a profession like that back at home! He sold the freshest of fresh meats all the way up the tallest mountains and beyond, braving through terrible snowstorms, wretched wind storms, and giant mountain goats that'll bite off your hand when given the chance!"

Rolf's colorful tale caused everyone to gasp and wince upon hearing such an odd, yet grisly description of "old country business-making". Eddy seemed more apprehensive than the others, however.

"Yeesh, hope I don't run into a mountain goat…" he commented softly. Double D raised an eyebrow; a thought had just formed in his head.

"Rolf's story does remind me of something regarding entrepreneurship, though…" he said, scratching his chin. He quickly turned towards Eddy. "Eddy, you mentioned before that your father was a salesman, correct? Perhaps a profession like that could set you on your path?"

Eddy nodded. "Yeah, but he was only one of those door-to-door salesman...not one of those big-time, head honcho corporations…" Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know what he sold?" Kevin asked curiously. Eddy scratched his head and burrowed his brow in thought. His dad did happen to sell many different items back in the day, but what _exactly_ he sold was a bit of a tricky question.

"Uh...hmm, lemme see...uh, toothpaste, perfume, vacuum cleaners...I think he also sold shower curtain rings at one point, too…I dunno, the stuff he sold wasn't exactly fancy, to be honest…" Eddy admitted after some seconds of thought. Nazz smiled in sympathy.

"It's still a career, though, dude…" Nazz reminded kindly, "We all gotta get by in life somehow…" Rolf nodded alongside her.

"Go-Go Nazz-girl is right, Ed-boy!" agreed Rolf proudly, "No job is more important than the other, whether you are a mayor or a simple cow farmer!" Eddy gave them both a tiny smile, he hadn't really thought of it like that.

"Yeah, I guess you're right...thanks for understanding, guys," he thanked sincerely. His voice was reaching levels of faintness never experienced from him, and this odd change in tune certainly wasn't lost on the other kids, especially Double D as he spoke seriously, yet wisely and kindly towards him.

"Eddy, I understand you feel nervous about what your future has in store for you, but you really shouldn't feel so down…" he began, "You've been doing good without creating a scam so far, so finding out how to use your skills for something more suitable shouldn't be too much of a challenge. You just need to keep having a positive mental attitude is all…"

Eddy gave his brainy friend a funny look upon that last statement. "A what?" he asked.

"A positive mental attitude…" Double D repeated, "You need to make yourself feel more uplifted mentally. Believing in yourself in a more positive light will surely help you feel like that _can_ do anything if you put your mind to it…"

Eddy listened extra carefully to Double D's explanation; his support was filling up his soul and his wise words swirled around his mind. Although the assistance was greatly appreciated, a troubling thought seemed to peck away in Eddy's mind like a tick.

"Yeah, but if I _can't_ do it, Double D...then what?" he asked pitifully, his dour mood still not enough to bring down Double D as he patiently and fondly looked down at Eddy..

"Then you keep going strong, Eddy…" he answered back faithfully, "Just never give up and always try your best to accomplish your goal, no matter what…"

Deep down, in the pit of his gut, Eddy wished he actually believed he can actually do it. To be able to get himself out of his rut and to actually use his scamming expertise for good _might_ be able to help him feel more at peace with himself, but the process on _how_ to do as such may prove to be daunting and difficult in its own right. Past experience shown him that his scams were all practically doomed to fail from the start, so how can his scamming abilities possibly help him out in the real world, with a real job? It seemed unlikely he can be able to right his wrongs...

And yet, despite everything that has happened in the past few months: the scam, the trek to his brother's home, finally gaining trust and friendship with the rest of the Cul-De-Sac citizens, and everything else that followed afterwards, Eddy knew that he's gone _this_ far without screwing anything up. Maybe if he _did_ develop a positive mental attitude, perhaps he can be able to find something that'll help use his skills for good in the end.

It wouldn't kill him to try, right?

"Well…" Eddy sighed, giving his friends a small smile, showing that he was willing to follow through with his friend's advice, "what else do I got to lose?"

He then stood up and picked up his hardly-finished lunch off the table, giving the others a grateful look. "Thanks for the help, guys...Might as well see what I can find around at the school to see if they can help me…" he explained graciously. Nazz then perked up, an idea flying in her head.

"If it helps, Eddy, maybe you can see if the school's hiring for any assistants anywhere, like maybe in the cafeteria as a server or something?" she suggested with a hopeful smile. Eddy smiled back and nodded at her.

"Good call, Nazz...wouldn't hurt to check…" he replied. And with a turn of his heel, he began to stroll away from the table, ready to begin his search to see how his scam skills can be put to good use, but not before waving a friendly goodbye to the others. "See ya, guys!"

The other kids greeted farewell to Eddy as the boy dumped out the remains of his lunch in the trash, put away his tray, and then left the cafeteria, all while trying to keep his spirits high all the way. The five kids couldn't help but to worry a bit for Eddy's sake; the sight of him looking so down and sorry for himself seemed alien to them and they all didn't know what else to do, especially Double D, whom was most concerned for Eddy's self out of the rest.

***BRIIIIING!***

They all hadn't time to linger on that for long as the school bell suddenly rang throughout the cafeteria, signaling that lunch was now over. Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf all got up from their tables, they all had a shared class they had to go right away.

"Guess that's the end of that…" sighed Kevin. Nazz nodded quietly.

"Guess so…" she replied before looking back at the remaining two Eds still sitting down at the table, "We'll see you both later, guys! Good luck with Eddy!" she kindly said to them in a hopeful tone. Double D gave her a smile in thanks.

"Thank you, Nazz…" he earnestly said with a tiny grin. Nazz soon began to head out, with Kevin and Rolf in tow as they too gave the Eds their best wishes.

"Yeah, good luck, dudes…"

"Indeed, fare-thee-well, Ed-boys!"

And with that, the three kids had to leave in order to get to their class, waving back at the two Eds as they, in return, waved goodbye back at them.

"So long, fellows…" Double D bid goodbye, though with a more sadder tone. As the trio soon left, Ed and Double D were left behind at the lunch table, both of them still worriedly milling around with Eddy's problems. Double D seemed the most worried between the two of them.

"Oh, dear...Ed, I'm concerned for Eddy's sake. I'm thrilled he's willing to change his old ways, but I still can't help but to fret for him. I sure hope he finds a way to make better and proper usage of his scamming abilities soon…I dread the fact that his inner demons may wind up returning again, like before we all went to search for his brother..." Ed frowned glumly.

"But, Double D…" Ed reasoned as best as he could, "If the others didn't find out about Eddy's meanie-pants brother, they wouldn't be our friends in the end!" Both of Double D's eyebrows peaked slightly from such a profound statement coming from _Ed_ of all people, but he still rolled with it anyways.

"In hindsight, you actually do have a point there, Ed…" Double D admitted softly, "Hadn't we attempted to track down Eddy's brother, and hadn't the others have sent a hitman squad to follow our tracks, they never would've known about Eddy's demons in the aftermath…"

He let out a soft sigh afterwards. He truly hated thinking back to that dreaded memoir, despite that in the end, things wound up turning up great for the better. "Still...sometimes I curse the day we even decided to think up that deplorable scam to begin with…"

Then, Ed suddenly gasped, the usage of the word "curse" seemingly striking a nerve in his feeble mind as he shot Double D a serious, disapproving look.

"Double D, there's no reason to be a potty mouth!" Ed chided with the same stern tone his own mother would give him when he did something bad (which was almost all the time), "This story is rated K+ only, young man!"

Perhaps it was best for Ed that poor Double D hadn't the heart to understand what the dull-witted lummox was talking about as he still kept wondering and worrying how Eddy was going to get himself out of his funk.

* * *

It was a crisp, calm Wednesday morning as the Cul-De-Sac kids were all now heading back for another grueling day of classes once again. Eddy, in particular, seemed to have an extra spring in his step that day, which was very odd for a kid who detested school more than anything.

He had spent the whole of today and yesterday trying to find a way to hone his love for scamming into something more useful and less disastrous, and so far, his search was coming up cold. But still, he was still quite determined to find how to use his skills for good instead of benefiting his own greed.

And like Double D told him, he did his best to think positively as he could try to, as to keep his spirits high during his trek, although, it proved to be slightly more difficult for him than suspected.

'_Come on, Eddy old boy! There has to be something here in this dumb school that can help me out. Just gotta keep having that positive mental...whatever and something should come up...I hope…_' Eddy's thoughts buzzed about in his head like bees working in a hive as he roamed the winding halls of his school, not wanting to give up on his journey just yet.

As the day wore on, he decided to follow with Nazz's suggestion to find himself a job at the school. He tried to get hired by working as a lunch attendant or a library assistant, but apparently, he was too young to work in both environments. He tried seeing if he could work at a small kiosk that sold school supplies to the students, but he was told that they weren't hiring. He even went to the school principal to see if he could help him out, and luckily, the principal actually did help out in some way.

After Eddy explained his dilemma to him, the principal suggested to the short-stacked Ed-boy that he could try and possibly join a club at school and would participate in one of their usual fundraisers. And in Eddy's mind, even he thought an idea like that could really help him in his time of need, much to his relief and delight. The rest of the day would then be spent of Eddy then finding a suitable club that might help him get started to doing some proper businessing.

The clubs at Peach Creek Junior High were as simple and nonchalant as any school could be; there were math clubs, chess clubs, student board clubs, sports clubs, clubs for kids who wanted to speak different languages. Posters advertising these clubs were all strung up across the school walls, all the way from the library towards the cafeteria.

None of these really stood out towards Eddy in any way, so he wasn't sure what club to really pick. He didn't know anything about chess or learning another language, he stunk at math and sports, and he wasn't sure how to be part of a student board. This soon made him understandably worried.

What if he wound up going down the rabbit hole at some point and got caught doing scams again? His newfound clique of friends would hate him again and Ed and Double D would be so disappointed in him. Eddy couldn't and wouldn't allow that to befall on him, so he simply kept looking for something. Like Double D said, he just had to think positive, was all.

But as the day continued on, Eddy found his high spirits to waver about as nothing seemed to work out right for him and his situation.

Eddy's travels took him past the school gymnasium, where he heard the school football team faintly shouting up a storm from the locker rooms close by. He was so engrossed in own little world, he hardly even noticed the ominous sound of rumbling and yelling coming from beyond the locker room. By the time Eddy managed to get his bearings straight, it was already too late.

***R-R-R-R-RUMBLE!*** came the sounds of stampeding sports shoes from nearby.

*_**SLAM!**_* went the door being violently opened.

"_HUT-HUT-HUT-HUT-HUT-HUT-HUT-HUT!_"

And just like that, a wave of bulky, towering jocks, all part of the Peach Creek Cobblers football team, came clamoring and scrambling out from the locker room like angry, stampeding cows. They were all heading outside to the school's football field to practice for an upcoming game. Poor Eddy was bashed, shoved, and pushed around from within the wake of football players roaring around him, too slow to have avoided their arrival.

Soon, the football players had all dispersed from the area, leaving behind a dizzy, battered, but unhurt Eddy to lay upon the ground, too shaken up to comprehend what just happened. Papers, posters, and flyers that once hung across the hallway walls flew everywhere from how fast the jocks were running, kicking up everything in their path as a result.

One poster limply floated down on Eddy's head, causing the short trio leader and snatch it off his face before he had the strength to get back up again.

"Stupid football players...stupid posters…" he grumbled irritably to himself. He was just about to crumple up the flyer and toss it aside when then, the topic of the poster suddenly seemed to catch his eye. He then took one quick read of the paper and his eyes instantly lit up upon seeing what the brightly-colored poster was advertising.

**WANT TO TAKE UP A FUTURE CAREER IN BUSINESS-MAKING?**

**JOIN THE PEACH CREEK JUNIOR HIGH ENTREPRENEUR CLUB TODAY AND GET A HEAD START!**

**LOCATED IN ROOM 344**

**CLUB HOURS: AFTER SCHOOL FROM 3-4**

**ASK PRINCIPAL UNDERWOOD FOR SIGN UPS AND MORE INFORMATION**

And just like that, as if Heaven had sent an angel down to answer Eddy's prayers, the boy in question beamed excitedly as he gripped the poster tightly in his hands and jumped back on his feet. He hadn't even known this school had a whole club dedicated to young, aspiring entrepreneurs!

Perhaps this could be his chance to himself in the right direction, to use his talents for the greater good!

"Perfect!" he declared happily. And then, he immediately tore down the hallway and towards the principal's office to sign up for his newest club activity.

But as he stormed past the halls to join his new club, something seemed to cross his mind along the way. If this club was to help him properly sell merchandise of some sort, Eddy knew he'd may need some sort of assistance in case something went awry. A small part of him still harbored a love for money and he really didn't want to screw his chances of redeeming himself, so should he wind up relapsing back to his greedy, old ways, Eddy has already made his decision.

He knew at some point, he'd need help...and he knew the very two guys who can do as such...

* * *

A little later, Ed and Double D were packing up their things at their lockers. It had been the end of a tiring day of classes, and they were both happy that the weekend was just nearly right around the corner. However, they were both too worried about Eddy to get excited about the prospect of enjoying their upcoming weekend.

And speaking of the devil himself, there came Eddy, sprinting faster than an Olympic runner as she approached his close buds with exciting news to share!

"Guys, guys, guys, guys!" came an excited yell from beyond the hallways. Ed and Double D looked towards the source of the shout as a smiling Eddy came running up towards them, panting tiredly, but looking terribly delighted as well. A small box was seen clutched under one of his arms, though what was specifically in the box was unknown as of yet.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo! Boys, have I stumbled across a brilliant idea or what!?" he cheered, bouncing giddily in place. His two comrades gazed at his unexpectedly, unbridled joy with mild confusion.

"Eddy, settle down before you have a heart attack! What idea?" Double D asked, in hopes to ease his friend down somehow. Ed beamed in sudden realization, the gears in his thick head finally turning.

"Oh, oh, did you find out about that job thingy of yours, Eddy!?" he asked excitedly. Eddy smiled and nodded with vigor.

"You got it, big guy!" he chortled, "Check this out!" Eddy then ceremoniously produced the box from his side and held it up high for his friends to see. Double D simply stared confusedly at the item while the more thick-headed Ed couldn't help but to stare in awe at the box's presence.

"Oooooh, you're going to be selling boxes!?" Ed gasped. Eddy chuckled at his taller friend's moronic nature.

"Nah, you lummox, it's what's _in_ the box that I'm gonna be sellin'!" Eddy explained joyfully, "I signed up for the school's entrepreneurship club and they just gave me my first assignment! All I have to do is sell enough chocolate bars to see if I can get a decent grade and hopefully I'll be able to get out of this rut!"

Ed immediately began salivating at the mention of what exactly Eddy was going to be selling. "CHOCOLATE! YUM-YUM-YUM!" he bellowed loudly. He was just ready to run up and snag Eddy's boxes of candy before the short trio leader quickly fended off the gluttonous Ed by smacking him away from his candy box.

"Hey-hey-hey! Hands off the merch, monobrow! I can't sell this candy if you eat it all!" he chided at the sorry-looking Ed, the latter rubbing at his slapped skin marks like a sad dog.

Double D, meanwhile, simply smiled proudly at Eddy's first attempt to use his business skills for good. Looks like Eddy really wants to do good after all! "Oh, well done, Eddy!" congratulated the intelligent Ed-boy, "Joining the entrepreneurship club should be a breeze for something like you!"

Eddy's giant smile began to wane a bit, his tone also becoming slightly more serious as well. "Ya got that right, but...uh...listen, is there, uh, any way you two can help me out with something?" he asked, almost timidly. The two other Eds were baffled, yet still willing.

"Er, of course, Eddy." Double D agreed kindly, though still unsure where Eddy was going with this, "What's the problem?" Eddy swallowed the thick lump stuck in his throat and bravely decided to come clean for once.

"Well...if I'm gonna be trying to actually sell stuff without it being a scam…" began Eddy, using his words carefully, "then I think I might need some backup in case if I wind up relapsing or something, y'know?" Double D frowned softly, he and Ed truly wanted to help Eddy out with his predicament, but something didn't seem to sit right with him.

"Eddy, I'm elated you're coming to me and Ed to assist you with this, but to no offense, isn't this _your_ assignment?" he asked carefully. Eddy frowned softly.

"Yeah, but, well…" Eddy continued, trying to piece together his words extra carefully, "I'm just scared I might do something I regret when I'm selling these things...like I might pocket some of the cash out of habit…"

Double D could certainly sense the worry laced within Eddy's tone, along with a smidgen of sadness seen in his eyes as well; it was a foreign sensation, seeing as Eddy was the kind of person to brush off his own worries, but it still concerned Double D greatly regardless. He knew the problem must be serious if _Eddy's_ asking him and Ed for help.

Still, he simply let Eddy continue on with his explanation. "Look, all I'm saying is that...can you and Ed just tag along with me for a while? Y'know...so I don't screw anything up at some point? I-I can't do this alone, you know…?"

In the P.O.V.'s of both Double D and Ed, Eddy's innocent suggestion vaguely sounded more like a plea. Any other person would probably think Eddy was just being weak and pathetic for needing help with such a simple task, but to Ed and Double D, who have known their money-loving, short-tempered friend since childhood, they knew that Eddy was desperate for help, and even so, they both genuinely wanted to help their friend in one of his most lowest times of need.

The answer to Eddy's question was ultimately unanimous between the brainy and the brainless Ed-boys as they both flashed him a pair of kind and brotherly grins.

"Of course we can help you, Eddy!" Double D smiled warmly, "We both know how seriously you are taking this whole assignment, at least!" Ed nodded rapidly in agreement, sporting a toothy smile at Eddy. Eddy grinned as well, ready to get this assignment started!

"Well, what're we waiting for, boys!? Let's get to work! I've got some more chocolate to sell in the club classroom, so let's see if we can fetch some more boxes!" Eddy explained with an excited tone, jumping up and clicking his heels.

And with that said, the three Eds set off to collect more boxes to help out with Eddy's assignment. Eddy tore down the halls with Double D and Ed following close behind, though with Double D lagging a bit behind than the rest (mostly because he'd rather not get in trouble for running in the halls like a hooligan).

Slowly reaching their destination, Eddy continued to think as positively as he can, hoping this club may put him on the right track to finding true success with his life, to use his skills for good instead of pilfering kids or causing a ruckus in the process.

Maybe by now, things may just be looking up for Eddy from here on out!

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY...**

* * *

It was currently the beginning of yet another school day, as Rolf, Kevin, and Nazz were all chilling out by their lockers, having gathered up their books and folders for the day, until the Eds had suddenly arrived and explained to the other three kids about how Eddy was going to sharpen his scamming skills into something better. Sitting behind Ed was a red wagon, stacked with numerous other little boxes that Eddy was carrying yesterday.

Eddy had currently told the other three kids about him joining the school's entrepreneurship club as a way for him to use his business skills for good and about what his new assignment asked him to do. He had also presented them the club poster he'd found yesterday to prove his point. Rolf had just finished scanning the flyer and smiled in realization, recognizing this certain club instantly now.

"Ah, now I remember this club! I believe Jonny the Wood-Boy once joined this many moons ago…" Rolf freely commented, remembering their former bald-headed, oddball friend from days of old. Nazz scratched her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm, sounds right, I guess...wonder what happened to Jonny after that mess at that amusement park? We haven't seen him all summer..." she mused offhandedly.

She certainly wasn't wrong; Jonny 2x4 and his faithful sidekick Plank had been evidently missing since the aftermath of meeting Eddy's brother at Mondo-A-Go-Go, where he still tried to capture the Eds without knowing that the other Cul-De-Sac kids had forgiven them. And with that, Jonny was basically ostracized from the group while the rest of the kids simply went home to rest and celebrate with their new friends, leaving behind a beaten-up and bruised Jonny far from home.

Kevin scoffed and simply continued twirling his basketball without a care upon mention of their erstwhile ally. "Pssh, don't know, don't care. Dude was an utter whack-job anyways…" he dismissed sourly before directing his attention back towards the Eds, "Anywho, you all were saying?" Eddy shrugged lamely at Kevin.

"Eh, that's really all to it, to be honest," finalized Eddy as he put away his poster in his pocket, "Just gotta try and sell as much chocolate for my assignment is all!" Rolf chortled and went up to give Eddy a friendly, though rough pat on the back.

"Ho-ho-ho, well, such a task shouldn't be too hard for smaller-than-a-doorstop Ed-boy here!" he assured proudly, "Lika Nana sometimes says, 'charisma is the key to everything', and Eddy here is filled to the brim with more charisma than a mule breeder!"

Eddy gave Rolf a slanted smile, unsure if that last "mule breeder" bit was considered to be a compliment or not. Then again, Rolf was a bit odd when it came to describing certain things, so he figured it best to take his saying in stride. "Err...thanks, Rolfy-boy...I think…" he returned carefully. Nazz was then next to step up to ask Eddy something.

"And you also said you're having Double D help you sell these candy bars as well?" she asked. Double D cleared his throat and decided to help Eddy answer that question.

"Well, partially, yes…" cut in Double D importantly, "Eddy asked me to help count up his amount of money and to keep in charge of handling both his merchandise and his wares so that he won't try and pull off something sneaky during of which…" Afterwards, Ed burst into the conversation with another cheek-aching grin on his face.

"And I'll be helping too!" bellowed Ed unceremoniously, "Behold!"

Then, reaching inside his large jacket, Ed produced a small spray bottle filled up with cold water. Without warning, he went up to Eddy and began spraying water right up in his face repeatedly. Eddy coughed and tried to push Ed away as he still continued spraying Eddy relentlessly. Water trickled down his hair and face and stained his shirt. Ed chuckled stupidly and turned towards Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf, whom all simply stood back in mild confusion.

"Heh-heh, I saw my aunt do this with her cat once!" he added slyly with a knowing wink. At last, Eddy managed to get Ed to back off with the spray bottle before he can really get fully soaked.

"Ed, you dolt! You're not supposed to spray me _unless_ if I try to steal any cash!" he snapped, his upper half completely dripping and soggy of freezing water. Ed stood in shock at the angry, wet kid in front of him and immediately held the bottle behind his back, flashing Eddy an apologetic, embarrassed, and blushing smile.

Double D bemusedly watched the scene unravel before him in silence before he felt it best to continue the story's plot as planned. "Ahem, yes, well...Eddy also tasked Ed with making sure the former is kept at bay should he try something sneaky during the selling process…" he explained.

Rolf rubbed his chin, stuck in thought. "Hmm, while Rolf is pleased for Eddy for his pursuit for a career choice, doesn't this extra sense of precaution seem a bit too much for a simple task?" he asked curiously. Nazz and Kevin also shared his sentiment.

"Yeah, dude, I mean...you guys haven't done a single scam all summer! Isn't this a bit overkill?" Nazz replied, looking just as confused as Rolf was.

"It's only to be on the safe side, guys…" Eddy answered earnestly, "Ed and Double D may not be as willing to do scams anymore, but in my case, I'd rather not take any chances of screwing up. Besides, I'd also prefer not to lose my friends as well in case I wind up going back to my old ways…"

In a way, the others could certainly see where Eddy was going with this; sure, his greediness wasn't particularly well-liked amongst the group, but considering how he and his friends have managed to stave off the rest of their summer without pulling off another scam, that proved that Eddy _was_ willing to learn from his own mistakes and to become a better member of society. Although, the fact of Eddy needing Ed and Double D to watch over him like hawks while he went around selling chocolate did seem ludicrous to them.

Nazz and Rolf were about to voice out their opinions yet again when another kid suddenly beat them to the punch.

"Well, if that's what's gonna help ya out, then I'd say go for it…"

Nazz, Rolf, Eddy, Double D, and Ed looked over with wildly-surprised and perplexed looks to see Kevin idling around, giving Eddy a serious, but supportive expression. None of them bothered to speak up again, giving Kevin leeway to continue speaking once again.

"Look, if Eddy says this'll help him to try and stop himself from going back to doing scams again, then I think we should respect his decision. Dude's gotta try and at least right his own wrongs, y'know?" he reasoned civilly and coolly.

The other kids were all shell-shocked; since when did Kevin stick up for _Eddy_ of all kids!? Eddy, in particular, was beyond amazed Kevin even bothered to side with his own decision like that. Regardless, Kevin's words had been enough to change Nazz and Rolf's opinions again upon hearing their friend's statement.

"Well...if Kev says it's fine...then I guess it's fine then…" Nazz said, still feeling unsure deep down, but still willing to let her friends handle their situation as is. Rolf nodded alongside her.

"Rolf agrees as well." replied Rolf afterwards. Double D then went up and gave Kevin a generous, thankful smile and bow.

"Thank you for the support, Kevin! Trust us, we'll keep Eddy in line all the way!" the intelligent Ed-boy replied, patting Eddy next to him on the back, whom meanwhile, was still silent with shock upon having Kevin stand up for him in a way. Kevin shrugged nonchalantly in return.

"No prob, dudes…" Kevin said with a nod, before giving Eddy something of a joking smirk, "Just don't try and screw this up, Dorky…"

Contrary to disbelief, the tone Kevin was using upon saying Eddy's old nickname was done in a more playful and light-hearted manner, rather that of mockery or belittlement. It certainly wasn't lost on Eddy, however, as he too gave Kevin a sly smirk in return, deciding to play along with his little game instead of getting angry or insulted in return.

"Heh, whatever ya say, Shovel-Chin…" Eddy replied back with a small chuckle, "At least ya won't see me use your cash go towards something like jawbreakers again or something…" Kevin rolled his eyes and snickered at the thought.

"I guess so...I mean, it's not like I don't got a whole garage full of jawbreakers or something…" Kevin reminded casually. He and Eddy then shared a friendly chuckle afterwards, not noticing the others look at them with big smiles, all happy to see Kevin and Eddy finally starting to make amends…

...in their own little way, of course...

"Well, still...I appreciate all your help...and considering you three have been helping me and my friends out in the past few months…" Eddy continued, before holding up one of his boxes towards the others, "Mayhaps you guys liked to be my first genuine customers?"

Eddy's kind offer did manage to bring a smile to the others' faces, although some looked more apologetic than willing.

"Aw, that's sweet of you to offer, dude, but I'm afraid I can't...I _really_ have to stick to a certain diet for the month and chocolate ain't exactly on the list of things I can eat…" Nazz replied apologetically. Even Kevin gave Eddy something of a sad smile.

"Can't either, dude. Coach is watching my weight for when football season arrives…" he admitted with a small shrug. Eddy's smiling face faltered a bit, though he did understand his friends' excuses. However, one other certain Cul-De-Sac kid _was_ willing to help Eddy with his plight.

"Rolf shall help skin-paler-than-a-peach Ed-Boy with his vendoring assignment!" the tall farmer boy offered graciously. Eddy's eyes beamed with utter delight from hearing that!

"Really!?" he gasped happily. Rolf nodded with a smile and dug into his pants pocket. There, he produced two shiny, gold-tinted coins of some odd, foreign, and unknown descent and then tossed them right into Eddy's open, eager hands.

Eddy's bright and shiny eyes and smile suddenly morphed into an expression of pure, adulterated confusion. Just what in the ever-loving name of Antonucci _was_ this kind of currency!? Part of him almost wanted to ask Rolf what even was this, but then again, he didn't felt like questioning it anyways. He was to actually sell something without ripping somebody off in the process, so he could care less what kind of change he'd receive afterwards.

Besides, money's money as far as he was concerned, no matter what country it can from.

'_Maybe there's a cash transfer place in town we can trade in these things for real moolah…_' Eddy thought to himself before then turning towards Double D, whom then in turn also presented one of Eddy's boxes in his hand and opening it for Rolf to see inside.

"Take your pick, Rolfy-boy!" Eddy offered with a grin akin to a game show announcer. Sure enough, the box was jam-packed with tons of decadent chocolate bars of many flavors. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter filling, raspberry filling, mint filling, caramel filling. It was all almost too much for Rolf to choice until he finally decided upon a single bar of white chocolate.

Unwrapping the candy bar in one go, Rolf took one bite of his chocolate and immediately relished in the sweet, heavenly taste of his candy, a nostalgic smile creeping upon his face.

"Mmm...Rolf use to travel back-and-forth from my cottage to the village on Victor's back just to purchase a fresh cacao-covered biscuit after working in the farm!" he reminisced wistfully, still taking in the delicious taste of his candy bar. Eddy, in the meantime beamed in delight! He successfully made his very first legal sale!

Admiring his freshly-received form of currency, he then forcefully passed the sheckles down to Double D, the person in charge of managing his wares, whom then stored the coins inside of a small, brown toolbox, where Double D would be keeping the rest of Eddy's cash for safekeeping.

With that said and done, Eddy simply looked back at Rolf, Kevin, and Nazz with the most grateful expression he'd ever given anybody in his life. "Thanks so much, you guys…" he said sincerely, "You have no idea how much this means to me…" The others smiled right back.

"Hey, no problem at all, dude…" Nazz nodded back sweetly, with Kevin silently smiling next to her. Even Rolf nodded agreeingly as he finished off his candy bar in one fell swoop.

"Indeed...it's like the old saying goes, how you say...'What are friends for'?"

Eddy's widening smiled couldn't have looked more grateful and pleased than it did right there on the spot. Had this event happened a couple of months ago, the others wouldn't really care too much to bother to help Eddy out with his troubles anyways. But now, with all their bonds repaired and intact, Eddy was simply proud to be with such great allies, not just with Ed and Double D still by his side as normal, but with the other Cul-De-Sac kids now aligned with him from now on.

***BRIIIIIING!***

The heartwarming moment was short-lived as ust then, the sudden brash clanging from the nearby school bell loudly rung out across the hallways, indicating that it was time to head for class. Nazz hiked up her books and turned back to the Eds with a smile.

"Looks like we got to get to class…" she commented. Kevin nodded and packed up his gym bag, ready for some football practice.

"Got that right…" he said before turning back to the Eds with a smile, "Good luck sellin' all that stuff, guys!" Eddy smiled and waved them all goodbye

"Thanks, Kev! We still got lots of boxes to sell, so we'll see ya later after school!" Eddy called out, he and his own posse ready to depart themselves.

"Alright, see ya, guys!" Nazz cheered, waving the trio goodbye. Kevin and Rolf both followed suit as they too headed for their own respective classes.

"Catch ya later, dudes!"

"Go forth and prosper, Ed-boys!"

As the other kids greeted them goodbye, with a full cart of candy boxes lagging behind them, the three Eds excitedly began their mission to sell as many chocolate bars they can to help Eddy with both his club assignment and his desire to use his scamming skills for good! They all danced and soared through the halls, hollering happily all the way.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Come on, boys, we're back in the game! We got some chocolate to sell!"

"Yeah, let's do it, fellows!"

"BUTTERED TOAST!"

* * *

A little later in the day, the Eds have been busily selling chocolate bars to as many students they could find and sell to in between their class periods. And so far, things were going okay. Eddy managed to sell twelve more bars of chocolate and for the most part, he was holding up pretty good.

He hardly ever tried to pull something tricky just to hold any cash in his hands, but when he _did_ try to out of force of habit, Ed simply sprayed him enough to cause him to back off and to simply continue selling his candy as planned. Over time, Eddy's instincts kicked in, where when he was attempting to keep at least one measly cent to himself, he decided to simply forget about it and to resume his assignment, lest it he get sprayed again.

A little later, their next pair of customers just so happened to be Sarah and Jimmy, the youngest members of the Cul-De-Sac squad. And between the two of them, Sarah seemed to be the one more apprehensive upon seeing Eddy selling stuff once again.

"So, lemme get this straight...you're selling this stuff as part of a club assignment?" she asked suspiciously. She honestly wasn't sure if this was some sort of front, like that this was actually a thinly-veiled scam in disguise. Eddy simply nodded politely.

"Yep, all genuine stuff here and no scams at all!" he declared assuringly. Sarah still wasn't fully swayed, and Jimmy, whom was more accepting of this scene before him, still had something on his mind.

"So, the money won't be going for jawbreakers, then?" he asked softly. Eddy shook his head in response.

"Not a single penny…" he replied before Double D took the stage once more.

"We'll be monitoring Eddy's actions until his assignment is completed _and_ we'll be in charge of his sales until we see that Eddy is ready to handle selling items by himself…" he explained logically and truthfully. This seemed to quell Jimmy's nerves quite effectively, given the smile he flashed towards the Eds.

Sarah's nerves, however...not so much...

"How do we know that that this ain't just another scam in disguise…?" Sarah asked carefully, with her sights still locked on Eddy's face. Eddy rolled his eyes and smirked cockily.

"Please, when have I steered you wrong?" Perhaps it was the utter deadpan expression Sarah was giving him was when Eddy realized that his question was kind of too stupid and obvious to ask.

"Uh...f-forget I asked that…" he stammered before picking up a box and opening it up, showcasing tens upon tens of chocolate confectioneries right in Jimmy's face. He still wanted to prove that he's willing to change, as well as to continue on with his task.

"What do ya say, Curly-Q?" he offered with a grin, "Wanna buy one?"

Jimmy pondered for a moment. Despite of the large dental brace that he's worn for Heaven-know how long, even he couldn't help but to desire for a little sweet treat once and awhile. Unanimously, Jimmy had clearly made his decision.

"Oh, boy, would I!?" Jimmy exclaimed, stars gleaming in his eyes. He then turned to his other, more wary self with an innocent, big grin. "Come on, Sarah, let's have a little snack!"

Sarah frowned and stayed quiet, but as not to upset or disagree with Jimmy, she went ahead and gave Eddy a dollar as to purchase herself a bar, as did Jimmy. She then picked out a bar of milk chocolate afterwards, with Jimmy picking out one with peanut butter.

Eddy carefully and civilly handed the two dollar bills to Double D to store away, trying not to let Sarah's leering eyes haunt him or bring him down. Jimmy, on the other hand, gave the Eds a gratitude-laced smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Eddy!' Jimmy called out appreciatively. He then grabbed Sarah by the hand and gave her an eager smile. "Come on, Sarah, we have art class right now!" And with that, Jimmy skipping girlishly away with his freshly-purchased snack and his best friend by his side, waving goodbye to the Eds as he set off for class.

"Bye, Eddy! Bye, Double D!, Bye, Ed!" Jimmy called out, merrily prancing past with a shifty-looking Sarah in tow, still continually giving Eddy a puzzled and wary look.

"Yeah...see ya…" she replied after, still looking quite suspicious at Eddy's strange behavior. She then changed her tune once she saw Ed close by and gave him an uncharacteristically and genuinely sweet smile and a friendly greeting.

"See you at home, big brother!" Sarah chirped out, waving at the tall, unibrowed Ed nicely. Ed grinned and waved back at her vigorously.

"Bye, baby sister!" he called out in return. Eddy sighed in relief as the two squirts had finally left the area to go to their class, glad to know that this occurrence hasn't gone up in smoke.

"Phew, that worked better than I thought!" he commented. Double D smiled and nodded.

"I agree, and you also didn't bother to try and hock away any money for yourself this time! I didn't even have to use the spray bottle this time!" Double D added happily. Eddy's eyes slowly lit up upon hearing that last part, realization suddenly hitting him like a brick.

"Hey...you're right!" gasped Eddy with a smiling, shining expression, "It actually worked!"

The three boys cheered and jumped for joy upon Eddy's success for a few seconds until Ed piped up with a question. "Where do we go next, Eddy?" he asked curiously.

Eddy dwelled for a second regarding Ed's question, only to get an answer right away. "Well, we pretty much covered the whole school...why not take it a step further and go about the town to sell these puppies?" he suggested with a smirk. Ed, however, looked puzzled.

"Puppies, I thought we were selling chocolate?" he asked, punctually getting no response afterwards as Eddy stood upon the wagon they've been carting around to carry Eddy's items in, an idea and a new mission forming in his mind.

"C'mon, boys! Ya guys wanna take this journey onward and upward with me!?" he rallied proudly down to his two comrades with gleeful eyes. Double D lightly smirked and leaned towards Ed.

"Like we have a choice?" Double D lowly replied next to the monobrowed boy, though in a playful manner before grinning up at Eddy. "Of course we can help you, Eddy!" he agreed aloud, happily.

Eddy grinned his biggest grin and then boldly pointed down the hallways, akin to George Washington and his men crossing the Delaware River. "Then let's roll, gents!" he called out.

Ed whooped and jumped about in pure enthrallment, quickly running up and grabbing the wagon's handle, dragging the cart behind as he soared down the halls with a surprised Eddy and his supply of candy boxes still onboard, wobbling and weaving around as Double D quickly followed after them.

And so, as the end of the school day finally arrived, our three favorite Eds then enthusiastically set off towards greater pastures to help Eddy continue selling as much chocolate as he can; as of now his mission was just getting started!

* * *

For the rest of both this week and next week, Ed and Double D have been helping Eddy to sell as many chocolate bars as he can to earn enough money to meet his assignment's goal. They went all around the school, the Cul-De-Sac, and even the downtown section and other neighborhoods of Peach Creek, selling as many candy bars as they could. The whole process was very tiring, with lots of walking and talking and trying to count up how much money they were making, but in the end, it all turned out to be worth it, especially for Eddy.

During their selling spree, Double D and Ed kept a very close eye on their friend, just in case he'd try anything funny or shifty while they were doing their task. For the most part, Eddy was perfectly fine. Sure, a tiny sliver of him was tempting to keep at least a single dollar or even a quarter to himself, but he ultimately forced himself not to give into temptation and to just keep doing his work.

And over time, Eddy gradually became more independent while he was selling his wares. He remained courteous, charming, and civil during their job, and slowly, but surely, he hadn't felt the need to keep any of the cash away from his box. It was soon apparent that one day, Double D had fully trusted Eddy to handle the last remaining bit of the work by himself. And sure enough, Double D _was_ right to trust him! Not once did he try to sneak any of his hard-earned cash for himself!

It wasn't too long until Eddy had sold all of his chocolate bars, earning him a whopping $268 in change! Eddy was beyond delighted; the old him would've been massively elated to hold such an impressive wad of cash on him, but now, he was simply just proud to get his important task accomplished! And once more, he didn't even bother to use any of the cash for jawbreakers! Instead, he promptly returned his wares safely back to his club.

Suffice to say, the teacher in charge of the entrepreneurship club was quite impressed with Eddy's work, along with Ed, Double D, and the other Cul-De-Sac kids! Even _Kevin_ couldn't help but to admire at how Eddy handled his challenge and slowly, even Sarah began to realize that Eddy really was changing his ways after all!.

And soon enough, because of Eddy's hard work and perseverance, a delightful surprise awaited for him at the end of that day...

* * *

One bright and sunny Wednesday, at the tail-end of another school day, Eddy practically danced across the school hallways, sporting a big, excited grin all the way! He didn't bother to notice any odd looks he was given by other students in the halls, solely because he didn't care! He had great news and he wanted to share it with his closest friends! He deserved to feel this giddy!

He was busy trotting and scatting to himself down the halls, until he spotted Double D and Ed walking towards him. Double D certainly noticed his friend's excitement and chuckled softly next to Ed.

"Somebody's in a good mood…" he mused good-heartedly. Ed giggled alongside him.

"Eddy looks silly when he dances!" the unibrowed boy added merrily. The three kids were soon reunited in the halls, with the free-spirited Eddy piping up first, wanting to share his news right away!

"Guys, ha-ha-ha, you'll never guess what happened!" Eddy laughed excitedly. Ed's eyes went wide and he held up his hand, waving it frantically.

"Ooh, ooh, did you win a lifetime supply of Chunky Puffs!? Or gravy!? Or buttered toast!?" he gasped, increasingly getting more exhilarated after naming each of his favorite foods. Double D raised an eyebrow at Ed's odd question, but simply gave his friends a warm, knowing smirk.

"I trust everything went alright with your club assignment?" he asked Eddy kindly. His answer was a broad smile and an affirmative nod.

"Oh, it went better than okay, sockhead!" he clarified self-assuringly, "I just handed in my assignment and according to the teacher in charge of my club, she said I sold more chocolate bars than the other students there!" Double D and Ed gasped in surprise.

"_Seriously!?_" Double D exclaimed, nearly doubling over in shock. Eddy nodded and gave his friends a smirk.

"Yep, earned the most money from this assignment out of everyone!" he declared, now producing something from out of his backpack. It was a sleeve of paper that was describing Eddy's assignment. "Here's some proof if ya both are having any doubts!" he chuckled.

Double D was handed the paper so he and Ed could its contents. Sure enough, the paper that assigned on what Eddy was to do for his entrepreneur club had a tally number, indicating the amount of candy Eddy had sold for the past two weeks.

'268 chocolate bars sold = $268 dollars'

Both boys were even surprised to see something on this paper they'd never thought Eddy would get in a million years!

A well above-average grade!

Indeed, a big 'A+' written in red marker was proudly written on the paper, along with a praising caption reading "Excellent work!" written underneath. Double D and Ed were floored with absolute shock! It wasn't like Eddy to be given such high grades before! But still, it was delightful experience to see and the two boys were overjoyed for Eddy's achievement.

"Oh, Eddy, I'm so proud of you!" Double D elated sincerely with a big grin, so happy for his friend that he immediately pulled him in for a brotherly side-hug. Ed whooped and hollered with glee, doing a little dance before he too hopped over and gave both boys a big, tight, warningless embrace.

"A big, big hug for my bestest best friends!" he congratulated loudly, squeezing the life out of Double D and Eddy, who were both too busy laughing happily to care about Ed's tightening grip snug around them both.

After seconds of gleeful shouts and laughs, Ed let go of his friends, and Double D happily patted Eddy's back in high praise. "Eddy, this is fantastic news! I can't believe you sold all that chocolate in just two weeks!" gasped the sock hat-wearing boy in wonder.

"I can't believe it either!" replied Eddy, "Teacher was really impressed with my work. Said that I had a real knack when it came to sellin' stuff!"

Double D beamed, chuckling to himself. "Guess all those instances of pulling off scams actually paid off after all!" he commented. Eddy smiled, fully knowing that even when their scams pretty much failed 90.9% of the time, at least _something_ good came out from all those past mistakes.

"Heh, yeah, guess they did!" he realized to himself impressively, "No bad for a shot at redemption, eh?"

He let out another chuckle before suddenly, his boastfulness then made way for a more humble change of tone. He frowned softly and looked up at the other two Eds with genuinity glazing in his eyes.

"Listen, guys, uh, I just wanna say thanks for helping me out with this project. It really means a lot to me…" he demurely added, "If I didn't have you both backing me up, I might've actually wound up causing more harm than good…"

Double D smiled tenderly, appreciating how humble Eddy was being for once. "Eddy, we're both your best friends! You know we're always there for when you need assistance!" he assured, with Ed nodded alongside him.

Eddy gave them a tiny smile. "Right, well...I mean...even after everything, you both have been by my side all the time, especially after that dumb scam…" he declared carefully. Ed looked puzzled, in spite of Eddy's straightforward response.

"What do you mean, Eddy?" he asked simply. Eddy took in a deep breath, his composure still fine, but his heart feeling quite heavy.

"Well...every day...I can tend to be a big, loud jerk to ya both most of the time...especially when it ain't called for…" he admitted, his voice traced with unfamiliar grief, "I'm surprised you guys haven't left me behind in the dust sometimes because of my attitude…"

Double D felt small, incoming tears form in his eyes. While it was true that Eddy's bad attitude and short temper can be grating and demoralizing at times, the three Eds were all still firm friends through and through, no matter what situation they all land themselves in and in spite of their clashing personalities.

"Eddy, we're your _friends!_ You know we'll all be together, regardless of what life throws at us!" reasoned Double D as sincerely as he could be. Ed smiled in agreement.

"Double D's right, Eddy! We're all just like the Three Musketeers: Larry, Moe, and Curly!" he explained in his usual false, but well-meaning manner.

Then next, as if to make his point hit it straight to home, Double D went up to the unsure-looking Eddy and placed a kind hand on his left shoulder, squarely looking him dead in the eye as he spoke seriously, yet sincerely towards Eddy.

"Eddy, I know going through redemption is tough at first, and that there are certainly times when you and I have had our disagreements and spats, but I assure you, we both couldn't be anymore proud of you for staying true to your word for righting your wrongs and to use your business skills for the greater good, as well as keeping your cool when trying to give up scamming. You've certainly grown from being a petty charlatan to being an upstanding friend in the past few months, so you really shouldn't feel upset anymore. You are only human, and you are fully entitled for redemption. Plus, you, me, and Ed have been firm allies since we were young, and I assure you, nothing is going to separate or break our bond…"

Eddy almost felt his breath hitch and his eyes well up with tears of his own. Double D's speech was as purely sincere as it could be and it actually caused somebody as stuck-up and snarky as Eddy to wind up feeling touched by it. Every word in every sentence poured out from Double D's heart were true as true can be, and that made Eddy feel very thankful and happy indeed.

However, a lingering thought struck Eddy's mind, a certain thought reflecting a moment during when they were all on the lam from the kids last summer.

"Nothing's gonna separate us…?" he asked timidly, "Not even that fight we both had at that swamp?"

Double D winced gently, having been reminded of _that_ little episode from when they still on the hunt for Eddy's brother. Long story short, a harmless, little prank from Eddy and Ed had wound up becoming the last straw for poor Double D, nearly causing him to simply accept his punishment rather than deal with Eddy's thick-headedness for any longer, ending with him and Eddy getting into a heated argument and fight. However, Eddy exclaiming about his own flaws, specifically about him being a friendless failure in life, caused Double D to feel sorry and sympathetic for Eddy's unexpected point of view regarding himself, and soon enough, the bond between the two Eds were slowly repaired once again, as if nothing had really happened.

As said before, Double D may find Eddy's brash behavior to be quite a displeasing downer, he still wanted to help his good friend in every way he can.

"I know the fight we've both had at that time was...er...brutal and taxing, but even so, we both managed to escape that adventure with ourselves intact. Personally, I feel it best that we simply let bygones be bygones and to simply be thankful we're both alive…" Double D sagely reminded towards him, reflecting upon the aftermath of their long and tiresome trek.

Then, in a small, hurt voice, he said "Still though...I'm sorry I exploded at you...and that I was nothing but a worrisome fusspot throughout whole the journey as usual…"

Eddy shared Double D's sympathy, equally looking just as sorry. "You shouldn't be sorry, Double D...you were only thinking smarter than us and were only looking out for me and Ed. I'm just sorry me and Ed pulled that prank on ya at the swamp...we weren't meaning to cause you to snap…"

Both boys looked at each other and then shared a thankful smile. Even though they both haven't said a word yet, they could both tell that they did forgive one another for their attitudes from that fight just from reading each other's facial expressions. Overall, they were just both happy to still stay good friends with each other after their big adventure.

That is, until their larger and more stupider friend suddenly interrupted their moment as he quickly went on his knees in a begging motion, his normally-cheerful eyes now filled with tears of sadness and his infectious smile replaced with a sorrowful frown.

"And I am sorry, too, my friends! I have been a bad, bad friend! Oh, woe is poor, little Ed!" The disheartened Ed wept pathetically, his eyes literally being dual fountains spewing out rushing water from his tear glands. Eddy and Double D gazed at their blubbering friend, looking more baffled than worried.

"Ed, what the Sam Hill are you going on about!?" Double D asked, looking and feeling greatly puzzled.

"Yeah, Lumpy, that prank was _my_ idea, not yours! What the heck are ya apologizing for!?" reasoned Eddy. Ed paused his sobbing in order to think of why exactly he was doing so in the first place. Unfortunately, Ed, being a boy with the IQ of a French fry, was too stumped to find out why he was apologizing anyways!

"I, uh..I...oh...I forget what I was sorry for…" Ed admitted slowly, his sadness slowly making way for his usual brand of moronic slimplicity.

What soon followed afterwards was a tiny giggled that escaped from Eddy's mouth, which slowly then turned into a chortle soon after. Double D slowly began to join in with Eddy's laughter, and even Ed, who soon forgot to be sad, happily joined in as the three boys guffawed good-heartedly right there in the school hallways.

The laughs and fun times began to peter away, leaving three boys happily sighing and chuckling there in the hall as Eddy was the first to speak up afterwards.

"Again, boys...thanks again for you help...I don't know what I'd do without you guys, I really mean it…" Eddy thanked again with a big, grateful grin. Ed beamed brightly, his sadness now having been sidelined for more happiness.

"No problem, Eddy! What're friends for!?" he jovially added, prompting a nod from Double D.

"Indeed, especially after seeing how barbaric your own brother can be to be towards you…" Double D commented, remembering how much of a scumbag Eddy's brother was to his own kin. Eddy scoffed passively. His brother was the last thing he wanted to hear or talk about at this point.

"Pssh, forget that chump! If anything," Eddy concluded in his most sincerest tone of voice ever done, "_you_ two are way better brothers to me than my own bro will ever be…"

Double D couldn't help but to smile graciously and warmly at Eddy's genuinely-true statement. Even if there were certainly times he and Eddy have clashed in the past, personality-wise, having Eddy see him and Ed as true brothers was enough to cause him to break out into a big, grateful, and proud grin.

Plus, after seeing how straight up _abusive_ Eddy's Brother can be towards his own kin, Double D wouldn't go past it having Eddy see him and Ed as brothers instead, but still, the feeling was still overall mutual between the three of them regardless. At the end of the day, the Eds well and truly are great friends...and they always will be.

"And in return, Eddy," Double D smiled, pulling Eddy into another side hug, "we both feel the same way towards you…" The genuine kindness laced within Double D caused Eddy to give him and Ed an equally big and grateful grin right back at them.

Meanwhile, Ed began to sniffle again and wiped away anymore lingering tears on his jacket sleeve out of seeing such a sweet moment between his two bestest buddies. He outstretched both his arms, a big and giddy smile spreading across his freckled face.

"Aw, do I sense another big hug coming up?" he offered playfully. However, his hug was sidelined by Eddy as he snorted back a chuckle and waved off Ed's incoming embrace.

"Pssh, in your dreams, burr-head!" sniggered the half-pint Ed-boy, "Just because the author of this story likes writing shameless fluff all the time doesn't mean _we_ should be subjected to that as well…"

Eddy's laughter soon became quite infectious yet again as even Double D and Ed began to join in too not long after. Even after the whole mess that had occurred last summer, the Eds were finally happy to take solace that the worse was well and truly behind them now and that they could laugh off their past mistakes in order to feel much more better about their current selves again.

The shared laughter continued for a little while until it finally died down for the second time, with Double D being the first to actually get a word in. "So, fellas, what shall we be doing for the remainder of the day?" he asked curiously.

The three boys all pondered for a moment. Usually after school, the Eds would simply try and whip up a scam for the kids, but with that whole ordeal now put to rest, it was considered best to simply just hang around, letting the rest of the day waste away peacefully without any worrying thoughts on their minds...

***GRUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!***

...that and the sound of the Eds' rumbling tummies helped to decide what they were to do instead of scamming anyways.

"Eh, let's just head to my house and make some food...I'm kinda starved anyways after sellin' all that chocolate so far long…" Eddy offered at last, clutching his rumbly stomach. Double D smiled at the thought and nodded agreeingly.

"Good idea! I'm quite famished myself!" he stated. Ed chortled happily as they all began waltzing towards the school exit, ready to head home.

"Ooh, I'm hungrier than a hungry hippo as well, guys!" he cheered, his wide grin nearly splitting his face in two. Eddy smirked and rolled his eyes as he kept walking with Ed at his right side and Double D on his left.

"Ed, you're _always_ hungry…" the short-stacked Eddy reminded both snarkily and playfully, "So, what're thinkin' tonight, boys? Pizza, maybe?"

Double D grinned. "Very well, but let me handle making the dough this time, Eddy. Don't want to add _too_ much yeast this time…" he jokingly evoked, nudging Eddy's arm lightly. Eddy chuckled and shook his head.

"Whatever ya say, sockhead!" chortled Eddy. Ed then stretched out his left arm and hugged Double D and Eddy close by his side, giving them both an unfaltering smile.

"And you know me, my best buddies! I'll be in the way and I'll make a big mess!" Ed added with utmost confidence. His reaction was met with a pair of chuckles from the other two Eds, the positive mood infecting them so much, they hardly even cared that they were crushed within Ed's vice-like grip (and we're both dangerously close to his left armpit, might I add).

And so, as the Eds merrily left the school and headed down the path to their home in the Cul-De-Sac, they all couldn't help but to reflect on what happened since last summer up to this point.

Ever since the whole catastrophe involving their most infamous scam, the Eds almost thought they'd never have a chance to be considered popular, but by now, with everything all cleared up, they all knew they didn't need to scam people to be well-liked, they just need to be themselves.

Eddy, especially, seemed to have learned a lot from his past experiences. Sure, his plan to give up scamming entirely may seem to be a daunting task for him, but regardless, he still hoped to try and do right from his mistakes, in order to make himself into a better person. He didn't want to give up, and lo and behold, he achieved his goal and he's still hoping to follow through with it.

And sure, the sweet sensation of doing a scam may still be lingering in his mindset for a while, but for now, he figured it best to simply take it one step at a time. And with Double D, Ed, and the other Cul-De-Sacs helping him through his tiring days, there's nothing that Eddy couldn't accomplish anymore. In the end, he was just simply content and proud to have his own two, true brothers by his side, forever and always.

And for somebody as self-assured and determined as Eddy, he now knew that with friends like his own, he knew he'll soon have his life back on track sooner than he thought...

**THE END**

**AND A HAPPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY TO THE ED, EDD, N' EDDY BIG PICTURE SHOW!**

* * *

**And there you all have it, fellow Ed-boys! My first-ever EEnE fanfic (as well as my longest one-shot story yet) has been finished!**

**Like I said before in the upper Author's Note, I've been dreaming to try and write up something EEnE-related since I created my account, but as of now, I was simply stumped on how to do so. With EEnE having an abundance of razor-sharp movements, expressions, and comedy, coupled with non-stop slapstick that would even make the Looney Tunes blush, I grew sorta worried that I wouldn't able to write a story in lieu of the actual show's own style of storytelling. But, hey, won't know until we try, huh?**

**I also wanted to try and add a smidgen of realism throughout parts of the story. The punishment I chose for the Eds at the beginning of the fic was basically the best I could think up for them that probably wouldn't involve throwing them in juvie or jail (they** _**were**_ **technically responsible for nearly destroying the Cul-De-Sac after all…). And because I'm a sucker for continuity, any die-hard EEnE fan can certainly spot a few past references to other episodes (i.e. "Laugh, Ed, Laugh", "Too Smart for His Own Ed", etc.), because hey, references are pretty cool. **

**Writing for Eddy during this whole story, in my head, seemed kinda OOC for a character like him, but regardless, I also wanted to write him in a more positive light, where he's still the cocky, confident, and snarky Eddy we previously known and loved for years, but he's more kinder, humble, and considerate since encountering his brother as well. Think of it as his own little redemption arc! ;)**

**Writing for the other kids also proved to be something of a challenge, mainly being Kevin trying to warm up to the Eds after the aftermath of the movie, hence why I chose him, Rolf, and Nazz to prominently appear in this story (Sarah and Jimmy only got very minor appearances b/c I really didn't feel like writing for them this time, and with Jonny 2x4 now banned from the Cul-De-Sac group, I gave him only a passing mention while he's out in hiding, fully embracing his villainous alter-ego by now). Still though, I hope I've written them akin to their portrayal in the show (especially for Rolf, finding dialogue for him to say was kinda tough…)**

**In the end, thank you all so much for reading my first ever EEnE story! I apologize though if some parts happen to be repetitive or rushed however, I wanted to try and get this story published before the anniversary date. I'll also try and see if I can whip up another EEnE story at some point, but with a few other stories from other shows currently under my belt, a second EEnE story may take a while to make at this moment.**

**Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed the story and that you all have a lovely day! And a special thanks to Danny Antonucci and the team of A.K.A. Cartoon for making such a fantastic kid's show! :D**

**~Thunderbyrd**


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